In a season of ups and downs—mostly ups—and personal achievements, members of the Badger men's hockey team have been quick to give credit to their teammates for helping each other along the way. But teamwork aside, a trio of Badgers have picked up a number of individual awards along the course of the WCHA regular season.
Junior goaltender Brian Elliott has accumulated the bulk of the team's individual awards this season, including five Red Baron Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week awards and one College Sports Television/Hockey Commissioner's Association National Player of the Month Award.
Elliott earned the Player of the Month award for his stellar play in November. During that month his team went 7-0-1, and only 11 goals snuck by Elliott in those eight games.
Three days after the announcement of the national honor, Elliot received his fourth WCHA Defensive Player of the Week award in five weeks.
After a three-month hiatus from winning the award, Elliott closed the WCHA regular season by winning it again this week. Along with the award, Elliott captured the WCHA goalie title, finishing first in goals against average and save percentage.
Senior defenseman Tom Gilbert won WCHA Co-defensive Player of the Week honors after his team's road sweep of then-No. 5 Colorado College Jan. 13 and 14. Gilbert added five offensive points to his strong defensive play in the series.
The same week, www.insidecollegehockey.com named Gilbert its National Defensive Player of the Week.
Gilbert is proud of what he has accomplished this season, but individual awards are the last thing on his mind right now.
I feel like this has been my best year so far, but it's not over yet,\ Gilbert said.
Badger sophomore center Joe Pavelski has earned two weekly honors from the WCHA, winning the Offensive Player of the Week award for the November home sweep of Minnesota State, and for the January road sweep of Colorado College.
Pavelski notched two goals and an assist in the series with MSU and two goals and four assists in the CC series.
While other Badgers may not have won individual awards, they know hockey is a team game and it takes all members of the team to have the success they have achieved this season.
""I'm not a guy who's going to score 50 points in a year,"" senior forward Adam Burish said. ""Hopefully that's how I'll be remembered, as a guy that did whatever it took to be successful and helped his teammates to be successful.""
Burish may not be one to score 50 points in a year, but he was selected to represent the West team in this year's inaugural NCAA Frozen Four Skills Challenge in Milwaukee.\
